Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a job execution method and a job execution device for executing an instructed job, and a recording medium on which a job execution program is recorded. The present invention is applicable to a print system which executes a print job, for example.
Description of Related Art
In a printing company, printing is performed using a printing machine in accordance with an order from an orderer. In recent years, a print system using computers and networks is used to effectively perform processing from ordering to printing. FIG. 21 is a diagram showing data flow in a print system. As shown in FIG. 21, an editing device 320, a RIP (Raster Image Processing) processing device 330, and a printing machine 340 are placed in a printing company. An orderer (not shown) sends manuscript data MD to the printing company using an ordering device 310. The editing device 320 generates print data PD based on the received manuscript data MD. The RIP processing device 330 converts the generated print data PD to data processable by the printing machine 340 (hereinafter referred to as RIP-processed data RD). The printing machine 340 performs printing based on the RIP-processed data RD.
In the editing device 320 and the RIP processing device 330, an order from the orderer is processed as a print job. A job file described using a job description language is used to represent the contents of the print job. The job file is generated when a print order is received, and the editing device 320 and the RIP processing device 330 operate referring to the job file.
By the way, some print orders require that printing should be done in a high security state. For example, there is known a method for attaching, to a product, a product label (see FIG. 22) on which a special symbol called a security code (or a security mark) is printed, or using a product package on which the security code is printed, in order to prevent unauthorized manufacturing of the product and to determine authenticity of the product. When the orderer orders printing of the security code, the orderer instructs a number of the security code to be printed. In the printing company, the security code is printed obeying the instructed number.
Note that in relation to the present application, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2009-193118 discloses an information processing device and a printing machine which send document data from an application to a printer driver and send print data from the printer driver to a printing machine in an encrypted state using a public key and a private key, in order to prevent leakage of the document data in a print process.
When the security code is printed in a conventional print system, the orderer cannot check whether printing is performed appropriately. For example, the orderer cannot check whether the instructed number of printing is obeyed. Moreover, some conventional print systems encrypt data generated in the printing company, but no conventional print systems encrypt data generated outside the printing company. Therefore, the manuscript data or the print data of the security code may be copied in sending these data to the printing company or inside the printing company, and may flow out unauthorizedly.
The orderer may handle this problem by dispatching people for watching status of the printing in the printing company. However, there is a case in which the watcher cannot be dispatched, or a case in which an efficient watching cannot be performed even if the watchers are dispatched. Moreover, if the manuscript data or the print data of the security code remains in the print system after finishing the printing, the remaining data may flow out unauthorizedly.